Divergent Short Summary

This is a book by Veronica Roth that explores a dystopian theme based in Chicago.

Beatrice Prior is the protagonist, just sixteen years old. In the dystopian Chicago, the population is divided into up to five factions namely; Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless and finally Erudite. Beatrice is from Abnegation.

The plot opens with the mother of Beatrice cutting her hair. All sixteen-year-olds were subjected to an aptitude test that was used to categorize them into the different factions. After this test, Beatrice has to choose whether to leave her family or stay. Beatrice has the intentions of joining Dauntless, the faction that valued courage, but she is conflicted with thoughts of staying too. A woman named Tori administers the test. She injects Beatrice with a serum. Beatrice encounters several simulations that take her responses into account. When it is over, Tori is concerned by the results and gets out of the room. She later returns and reveals that Beatrice was a Divergent; which meant that she was able to fit into multiple factions. Tori tells her not to share this information.

In the day of choosing ceremony, the families gather in the square. Beatrice and her family are surprised when her brother picks Erudite. She then decides to join the Dauntless. With the dauntless one had to undergo further training to join. Beatrice joins the other Dauntless initiates on a train. Beatrice earns the nickname ‘Tris’ along the way and even makes some friends by the names Will, Al and Christina. She even makes an enemy out of a guy named Peter and his followers. She has several teachers too including a boy nicknamed Four and Eric, a trainer who was ruthless with initiates. Eric informs them of the initiation process that involved three stages. The successful initiates would earn membership, but the rest would become without factions. Tris succeeds through the series of trials while making sure that the fact that she was divergent was not revealed. Her time is met with violence, blood, and even some romance with Four.

Tris discovers that Erudite made plans that included overthrowing Abnegation. They were to achieve this by mentally-controlling the army of the Dauntless. Beatrice is not brainwashed like most of her dauntless colleagues since she was divergent. She rescues her colleagues and puts a stop to the plans. Unfortunately, her dad and mom die while helping her. The city is in chaos.